17 fclS«^ 



» 




MIDDLEBUKT COLLEGE. 



BACCALAUREATE DISCOURSE, 



DELIVERED AT 



MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT, 



AUGUST 6, 1865, 



BY 

BENJAMIN LABAREE, D. D, 

PKESIDEKT OF MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE, 



OX THE 



TWENTY-FIFTH ANiNlVERSARY OF HIS PRESIDENCY. 



lublis^eb bg ^Icqucst of t^e S^rustfes. 



BOSTON: 

PRESS OF T. R. MARVIN & SON, 42 CONGRESS STREET. 

18 6 5. 



:p 



MIDDLEBUET COLLEGE. 



BACCALAUREATE DISCOURSE, 



DELIYEBED AT 



MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT, 



AUGUST 6, 1865, 



BY 



BENJAMIN LABAREE, D. D. 

PBBSIDKKT OF MIDDLKBURY COLLEGE, 



OK THE 



TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS PRESIDENCY. 



^nbli8^«b bg |ljeqntst of t^c SrwstMS. 



BOSTON: 

PRESS OF T. R, MARVIN & SON, 42 CONGRESS STREET. 

1865. 






1 ii O ^ 



DISCOURSE. 



ISAIAH XXI. 11, 12. 

WATCHMAN, "V\'HAT OV THE NIGHT ? WATCHMAN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT ? THE 
WATCHMAN SAID, THE MORNING COMETH. 

This is one of the briefest of Isaiah's prophecies, and at the 
same time, one of the most obscure. It is not difficult to 
understand the sentences we have read, but there are other 
words in the connection, which have greatly perplexed verbal 
critics and commentators. The whole prophecy reads thus : 

''The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, 
Watchman, what of the night ? Watchman, what of the 
night ? The watchman said. The morning cometh, and also 
the night ; if ye will inquire, inquire ye ; return, come." 

We shall not attempt to penetrate the obscurity in which 
some of this language is involved, nor to trace its geographical 
and historical relations. That part of the prophecy, chosen for 
our text, though highly figurative, is easily explained. Some 
one is represented in the character of a watchman. It was the 
duty of this official in olden time, not only to guard the city 
and protect property and persons by night, but to proclaim the 
divisions of time as they passed, and to announce the joyful 
approach of morning. 

The prophet Isaiah was not only the instructor and guide, 
but the appointed guardian of his people. He is here referred to 
under the figure of a watchman. The particular occasion on 
which this prophecy was uttered, we cannot determine with cer- 
tainty, but it was obviously a period, when the Israelites had just 
passed, or were then passing, through severe national trials and 



calamities, which are represented in the figure by the darkness 
of night. The prophet as watchman is supposed to understand 
the origin, the magnitude and probable duration of these calam- 
ities, and therefore a voice, doubtless representing many voices, 
calls to him and inquires. What of the night ? and in the 
earnestness of desire to know the truth, and to know it speedily, 
the question is repeated, What of the night ? Has midnight 
passed ? Is the morning light approaching ? Relieved of meta- 
phor, the questioner asks, Are there severer calamities yet to 
come ? or may we hope soon to enjoy a period of repose and 
prosperity ? To their great joy and delight, the watchman 
replies — The morning cometh. Trials are passed, peace and 
prosperity are at hand. 

The ancient people of God, through the whole period of their 
national history, were subject often to trials and afflictions. 
These were frowns of Providence, designed sometimes as pun- 
ishments for failures in duty, sometimes as trials of faith, and 
often as discipline of character. Such experience is not pecu- 
liar to the Israelites, it is the common lot of humanity. There 
is no good accomplished by man without exertion, and human 
activity is ever liable to disappointment. From the training of 
the infant mind to the conversion of a world, there is work to be 
done, obstacles to encounter, trials to endure. When, therefore, 
in our work of life, disappointments, even fiery trials come upon 
us, we must not think that some strange thing has happened to 
us ; it is only a part of that moral discipline which is allotted to 
all, and is needed by all in this probationary state. Institutions 
and nations, as well as individuals, have their trials, and in 
every case the important practical question should be. What is 
the design of these afflictions, and how can they be wisely 
improved ? 

As this is the twenty-fifth anniversary of my connection with 
Middlebury College, I hope it will not be thought unsuitable to 
the place or the occasion, if I give a historical direction to my 
discourse at the present time. 

The rise and progress of the higher Literary Institutions of 
our country form an interesting and instructive feature in our 
national history. They originated, for the most part, in private 
enterprise and religious benevolence ; they encountered many 



obstacles and struggled hard in their early career, but encour- 
aged and sustained by an intelligent, Christian people, they 
gradually acquired stability, compactness and character, and 
soon took a prominent place among the civilizing forces of the 
nation. The united influence of these several institutions upon 
the cause of general education, of social happiness and of 
Christianity, stands prominent among those agencies which 
have raised this Republic to an elevated rank among .the nations 
of the earth. The foundations of this nation were laid on the 
broad pillars of intelligence and virtue, and to enlarge, strength- 
en and protect these foundations has been the appropriate work 
of our institutions of learning, and that they have done that 
work well and faithfully is proved by many witnesses at home 
and abroad. Each of these institutions has an individual 
history peculiar to itself, and can speak of trials and of triumphs, 
of prosperity and adversity, of the smiles and the frowns of 
Providence. Middlebury College has not escaped these common 
vicissitudes. Alternations of darkness and light, of hope and 
fear have diversified its progress through the whole current of 
its life, but never have those vicissitudes been more striking and 
eventful than during the last quarter of a century. 

It is my present purpose to speak of the condition of the 
Institution as it was found in 1840 — to notice some of the inci- 
dents in its history since that period — and then to inquire, What 
are its prospects for the future ? 

Middlebury College was never suitably endowed. Its early 
founders, in their praiseworthy zeal to establish an Institution 
for the benefit of young men in Western Vermont, did not first 
sit down and count the cost. When it came from the hands of 
the Legislature as a chartered Institution, its whole corporate 
property, buildings, funds, lands and library, was worth less than 
five thousand dollars ! Hope was the corner stone of the new 
edifice, the benevolence of the people, and confiding trust in 
Providence, its only endowments. And the same warm and 
vigorous hope which so animated the founders and early guar- 
dians, has ever been a sustaining and impelling force in the 
hearts^ of their successors — that appreciative intelligence and 
cordial sympathy of the people, which was accorded so gener- 
ously at the dawn of the Institution, have never been with- 



6 

drawn, but have rather grown with its growth, and strengthened 
with its strength. And that divine Providence, so early and so 
earnestly invoked, and so confidently relied upon to favor and 
direct, has never forsaken it, though sometimes indeed, as trials 
to faith and incentives to effort — clouds have been permitted to 
obscure the vision and chill the ardor of hope. Indeed there 
have been two or three periods in its history, when these clouds 
have so increased in density and darkness as almost to appal the 
stoutest heart, and call forth the earnest inquiry. Watchman, 
what of the night? Such a period was 1840. The thickness 
of darkness or the degree of discouragement felt by the friends 
of the Institution at that time cannot be well understood with- 
out the recital of a few facts. 

In his semi-centennial discourse, my predecessor in oiRce 
mentions two periods of trial and darkness, which fell within 
bis own observation, the former at the time of his accession 
to office in 1818, the latter about the time of his resignation 
in 1839. Of this he says, "there was darkness in the land, 
yes, and to those who were near, that darkness was seen ; 
and by those who possessed a keen sensibility, it might, like 
that of Egypt, be felt. About that time, there was by death 
and resignation, a general change, in rapid succession, of the 
officers of instruction. And however able and faithful the new 
officers were, they could not at once obtain the confidence of 
the community in which they were strangers, and to whose 
views and habits they were not accustomed. Of course, 
discouragement returned and depression followed." To this 
candid statement of Dr. Bates, I must add, that in the following 
year, 1840, the discouragement was increased, the depression 
sunk still lower, by adding to the board of instruction yet 
another stranger in the person of a new President, and the 
Faculty was then full. And singular enough, but one of the 
permanent officers was a graduate of the College. No one of 
them had been connected with the Institution more than two 
and a half years. We had taken the places of men well known 
to the immediate community and to the citizens of the State, 
and endeared to graduates, patrons and friends by years of 
earnest and faithful devotion to the interests of the College. 
The late President and senior Professor had been so long identi- 



fied with the Institution, that they were looked upon by many 
as almost essential parts of its being. The retiring President 
was a gentleman of high standing, of popular talents and of 
large experience; he had for more than twenty years given his 
time, wisdom and energies, to the advancement of the pecuniary, 
the intellectual and the religious interests of the College, and, 
until recently, his administration had been highly successful. 
The Senior Professor had occupied different chairs of instruc- 
tion for twenty-seven years, and perhaps no college officer was 
ever more sincerely beloved by his pupils. The loss of two 
such officers at the same time, would, in any circumstances, 
have disturbed the tranquillity of an institution, but the pecu- 
liar circumstances connected with the resignation of these 
gentlemen gave general, and in some instances intense dissatis- 
faction to the sons of the College. This condition of affairs 
was sufficient of itself to produce discouragement and depres- 
sion. But this change in the Faculty was not the only revolution 
that had occurred. Compare the catalogue of 1836 with that of 
1840. On the former you find the names of 168 students, on 
the latter only 46. The class that graduated in 1838 was equal 
to the number present in all the classes in 1840. What terrible 
convulsion had shaken the Institution and thrown off so many 
of its students? One gentleman compared it to the falling of 
leaves frorn a tree in autumn. But how unfavorable must have 
been the effect of siich a change upon the public mind, and 
especially upon the minds of young men who were contemplat- 
ing a course of collegiate study? No one will be surprised to 
learn that a smaller class entered Middlebury that year than 
had entered previously for thirty years. 

But what were the financial prospects of the Institution ? Here 
also there was darkness, and darkness to be felt. The produc- 
tive funds of the College were small ; all the sources of income 
united were insufficient to defray one half the annual expenses. 
'•In this depressed state of its finances how can the Institution be 
sustained ? We must appeal again to the people, to the friends 
of education and of Christianity. The College has a strong 
hold upon the kind feelings and benevolent regards of the reli- 
gious community. It has furnished pastors for our churches, 
missionaries for domestic and foreign fields, teachers for schools 



8 

and academies, and Presidents and Professors for Colleges, in 
different parts of the country. It has earned a good name 
among the people, and has been somewhat distinguished for its 
active religious character. The Christian public then will 
certainly appreciate the importance of such an Institution, and 
will come to its relief.' Such was the reasoning of the new 
President ; he felt confident that these views and hopes were 
based upon a solid foundation. His predecessor once said that 
the College *' had been compelled to struggle hard and beg 
stoutly. ^^ By continuing this hard struggle and stout begging, 
it was believed that we might soon emerge from the gloom of 
night into the brightness of morning. 

But there were facts and obstacles lying beneath the surface, 
that would have changed, materially, the aspect of affairs, had 
they been known at the time. It soon appeared that an impor- 
tant part of the religious community were looking with cold 
distrust upon the College, and were disposed to give their 
patronage to other institutions. As this withdrawal of confi- 
dence by several ministers and churches forms a prominent 
feature in that cloud of darkness which, like an ill-omened bird, 
hovered over the Institution, the truth of history demands that 
we give it a brief notice. 

An impartial statement of the events referred to has never to 
my knowledge been written, and the attempt to fill this gap in 
history, will make necessary the rehearsal of a few antecedent 
facts. — The two literary Institutions in Western Vermont, 
known as the University and the College, commenced their 
active career about the same time, and thenceforward became 
competitors for the patronage of the public. The College was 
entirely dependent upon the private bounty of its friends, but 
the University was sustained, in a large degree, by endowments 
from the State. Yet the College took the lead, and for nearly 
two score years maintained a decided ascendency, enjoying a 
large measure of public favor, and sending forth from year to 
year a respectable number of graduates, in the proportion of five 
for two furnished by the University. In scholarship, in charac- 
ter, in position and in active influences for the good of man, the 
sons of Middlebury would not shrink from a comparison with 
those of the other Institution. 



9 

The time soon came when these Institutions stood before the 
Christian public as antagonists, on grounds of a religious nature ; 
they occupied positions somewhat different, both in relation to 
the churches and to the State. " Middlebury College," says 
my predecessor, " commenced its career and rose rapidly to a 
condition of respectability and usefulness under the special 
blessing of Heaven. It not only had the sympathies of the com- 
munity, the counsels of the wise and the prayers of the pious 
in its favor, but these sympathies were effectually called into 
exercise, these counsels were well matured and faithfully 
applied, and these prayers were heard and answered in mercy. 
No literary Institution in the land has been blessed with more 
frequent, more pure, more refreshing revivals of religion." It 
was this decided religious character that gave the College its 
strong hold upon the Christian communities in Vermont and 
elsewhere. At the same time its independent charter, its self- 
perpetuating Board of Trustees, relieved its friends from all 
apprehension of political interference. On the other hand the 
charter of the University says, — " the by-laws shall not tend to 
give preference to any religious sect or denomination what- 
soever." The Legislature obviously intended that it should be 
strictly an undenominational Institution. How could it be 
otherwise, as the income is derived in a large degree from 
public funds that belong equally to all denominations. Says 
the late President Marsh in an address to the public in behalf of 
the Institution, — " The University is the child of the State, and 
the State pledged itself to the country and the world that she 
would not be behind other States, &c. Is not the public honor 
pledged to see that this Institution rises to a level with the most 
favored Institutions of New England ? " This connection with 
the State was the occasion of some embarrassment, as will 
appear from the following extracts. Professor Clark remarks, 
^' The connection of the University with the State gave rise to 
political intrigues and brought little aid to an embarrassed 
treasury." Says Dr. Wheeler, '^ The connection of the political 
authority of the State with the University in the appointment 
of Trustees, excited the fears of the religious public that the 
Institution might be controlled for political purposes. The 
religious controversy, which arose about 1810-1812, (the Unita- 



10 

rian controversy,) served to increase the solicitude respecting the 
religions influence of the University. These thoughts and 
opinions being made prominent by the competition that more or 
less existed in relation to Middlebury College, all led to the 
appointment of a Faculty of marked religious character." 

It will be remembered that the College from the beginning 
and through all its early history, was identified with the reli- 
gious interests of the community. Its light was not hid under 
a bushel ; its bugle-blast gave forth no uncertain sound, its 
banner was of the clear unequivocal orthodox type. To this 
open avowal and continued maintenance of decided religious 
sentiments is to be attributed, in no small degree, the prosperity 
of the Institution. On the other hand the first President of the 
University, and one or two of its early Professors, were supposed 
to have adopted those liberal views of Christianity, which were 
not in accordance with the religious opinions of the clergy and 
churches in Vermont, who were the most liberal patrons and 
efficient supporters of literary Institutions. These facts give 
great significance to the statement of Dr. Wheeler, '' that a 
Faculty was appointed (in 1815) of marked religious character." 
Three of the four gentlemen thus appointed, were prominent 
orthodox clergymen from Massachusetts. — But this experiment 
was not successful, the University did not prosper, and these 
gentlemen in a few years all resigned and returned to their 
native State. 

Soon the College came into competition with a new religious 
phase of the State University. Philosophy was destined thence- 
forth to play a prominent part in that Institution. A gentleman 
was called to preside over it, eminent alike for his attainments 
as a scholar, his philosophical acumen, and his upright, amiable 
character. One of his associates has said : '' He was altogether 
a riper scholar than had ever been connected with the Univer- 
sity. He was more variously learned, more profoundly ac- 
quainted with the philosophical grounds of all literary and 
scientific investigation, and practically more conversant with 
the habits both of literary institutions and of students," — and 
moreover, " he was aided by colleagues worthy of himself." 

On the accession of this new Faculty, important changes 
were made in the course of instruction and method of teaching 



11 

generally, but especially in developing and applying religious 
truth. These new views and methods urged and advocated, 
publicly and privately by men of learning and eloquence, awak- 
ened attention, excited discussion and produced no little fer- 
mentation in the religious community. The State Institution 
now became the champion of Ihe new philosophy, and claimed 
to be the pioneer in the abstruse investigations and scientific 
exposition of a more elevated and spiritual system^ of intellectual 
and moral truth. It maintained that the system of philosophy, 
that had long prevailed in our schools of learning, and had been 
adopted by our best and ablest men, was established on a false 
foundation, and that it had led many a youth into doubt and 
skepticism. It charged that the old and current system substi- 
tuted mere history for science, and fact for principle ; that it 
exalted the ability of man, and yet placed him under bondage to 
motive ; that it overlooked or undervalued the intuitions of the 
reason and constructed philosophy out of the ever changing and 
unreliable phenomena of the understanding ; and in short that 
a sensuous and accommodating utilitarianism, had displaced or 
obscured truths, absolute, universal and imperishable. In oppo- 
sition to these alleged errors the new philosophy taught that 
some of the great truths of religion, such as the being of God, 
immortality, and retribution, were not to be imparted from 
without, but awakened and developed from within ; that man 
must believe in order to know, and not know in order to believe, 
that every truth must be capable of accurate definition and pre- 
cise statement, and must find its exact place in the great edifice 
of knowledge ; and moreover, that every measure, adopted to 
promote the interests of religion, must find its approval in the 
cool deliberations of the reason ; that the sensibilities are 
variable and deceptive, and that the judgment of a philosopher 
is more likely to be correct, and therefore more trust- worthy, 
than the experience of the unlearned. Thus philosophy was 
made the basis of religion, and revelation was mainly the re- 
affirmation of great truths and principles which have their prim- 
itive abode in the human spirit. 

Still with high claims to scholarship and profound thought, 
the University did not prosper. The clergy were afraid of a 
new system of doctrines openly and professedly opposed to the 



12 

current and long established opinions ; the people were suspicious 
of a philosophy clothed in foreign costume and speaking a lan- 
guage which they could not comprehend. The College pursued 
the even tenor of its way, distrusting innovations in education 
and religion, and inquiring for the old paths. It adhered to the 
sentiment of the fathers, except when clear convictions of the 
practical value of a change, urged to some modifications. It 
believed that all the powers and faculties of man should be 
developed by the educator, and addressed by the religious 
guide, for the purposes they have in view — the understanding, 
the conscience, the sensibilities, the reasoning faculty, and those 
common-sense views of man and of life which guide and regu- 
late in practical affairs. While it taught that the highest self- 
culture was important and should be aimed at by every scholar, 
it was still a cardinal doctrine with the College, that man's aims 
should not centre in himself; that his disciplined powers, his 
acquisitions and all his cultivated energies should be consecrated 
to the good of man and the glory of God. 

In teaching the great principles of religion, the University 
would address truth in due form and proportion to the reason, 
the conscience, and the intellectual taste, and there leave it to 
work out its own results in accordance with the laws of thought. 
The College believed that man's emotional nature was designed 
to subserve his religious interests, and it therefore appealed to 
his hopes and his fears, his joys and his sorrows, his suscepti- 
bilities of pleasure and pain, and through his sensibilities sought 
to move the sluggish powers of his soul to action. It deemed 
it legitimate moreover to call in the aid of social sympathy, and 
of external influences, to give effect to religious truth, for which 
it claimed to have not only the sanction of sound philosophy, 
but the express authority of Scripture. 

The President of the College was an ardent, active Christian, 
a popular preacher, and a promoter of religious revivals ; the 
Pastor of the Congregational church in Middlebury was perhaps 
the ablest preacher in Vermont, and indeed very few men in 
the country had more ability to impress upon the minds and 
hearts of a popular assembly the solemn truths and obligations 
of religion. These devoted, earnest men, were harmonious co- 
laborers in promoting the spiritual interests of the College, the 



13 

church, and the community ; and their labors were crowned 
with great success. The College and the church in Middlebury 
became distinguished throughout the country for the frequency 
and the power of their revivals of religion. 

In the year 1836, there appeared in Vermont an evangelist, 
who had acquired a good deal of notoriety in other States as a 
promoter of revivals. Wherever he preached, a religious excite- 
ment followed, resulting usually in the accession of a large 
number to the church. His fame went out through the land ; 
by many he was regarded as an able and faithful preacher of 
the great truths of evangelical religion ; by others his ministry 
was looked upon with distrust and alarm. At length he was 
invited to the church in Middlebury, where he remained several 
weeks, addressing almost daily, large assemblies. By his im- 
pressive discourses and peculiar measures, scores and perhaps 
hundreds were led into the fold of the church. Here also opin- 
ions were divided respecting the man and his measures. The 
great majority, I believe, approved or silently acquiesced, but a 
few, and some of the most intelligent and influential men in the 
community did not hesitate to express privately and publicly, 
their decided disapproval of the course pursued by this erratic 
evangelist. The President of the College and the Pastor of 
the church became intimately associated with these labors and 
methods of proceeding. They co-operated with the preacher, 
not only in Middlebury, but in other places, gave him counte- 
nance and counsel, and lent him the influence of their names 
and character in different parts of the State. By such means 
the College became identified with these transactions, to the 
great grief and displeasure of many of its most valuable 
friends. 

At first the gentlemen of the University looked upon the 
singular scenes transpiring in our religious community, as silent, 
but interested spectators. They saw, they heard, they reflected, 
and at length took an open and decided stand against the 
evangelist and his measures. Previously they had not been 
much accustomed to mingle in the society of the clergy or the 
churches, but now laying aside all reserve, they came forth to 
expose and resist these, to their view, dangerous innovations. 
Associations of ministers were visited, public assemblies ad- 



u 

dressed, the columns of the religious press put in requisition, 
private letters written, all to arrest and drive back this tide of 
error and delusion, as they considered it, that seemed to be 
flowing over the State. And these extraordinary exertions 
were not without effect. Soon the University came to be re- 
garded as the champion of order, of wisdom and of religious 
prudence, while the College was supposed to countenance 
irregularity, innovation, and radicalism. As confidence was 
withdrawn from the College, it very naturally centered in the 
University, the fortunes of the former rapidly declined, those of 
the latter were in the ascendant ; its alleged errors in philosophy 
were for the time being forgiven, in view of the service it had 
rendered to practical religion. Middlebury had lost public 
confidence. 

This displeasure of many of the clergy and churches, together 
with the alienation of the graduates of the College for reasons 
before mentioned, were operating in all their force in 1840. 
Other causes co-operated in producing the unfortunate results, 
but none was more discouraging or more difficult to remove 
than this alienation of sons, patrons and friends. " Confidence," 
it has been said, '' is a plant of slow growth." For many other 
misfortunes and calamities there is often a speedy remedy. If 
a vacancy occurs in the Faculty of instruction, by death or 
resignation, it is soon supplied ; if a college edifice is consumed 
by fire, in a few months it rises again, in all its majesty and 
beauty ; but when the friends of a College turn from it with 
warm expressions of disfavor, no immediate cure of the evil can 
be found. Time and wisdom, industry and patience will be 
required to restore harmony, to reinspire respect, and to repair 
the golden chain of confidence that has been so unhappily 
sundered. 

At this distance of time, should candid men be called to pro- 
nounce an impartial verdict upon the ' new measure controversy ' 
of that period, we think their rendering would be substantially 
as follows: 'The movement was not the work of enemies of 
religion, but of the sincerest friends. It had its origin in a 
warm and earnest desire to promote the highest good of men, 
but in selecting the instruments to accomplish this purpose, due 
regard was not had to their character and their fitness to times 



15 

and circumstances. The united labors of the President and 
Pastor had previously been greatly blessed among the churches, 
and if in their well-meant pious endeavors, they, in a given 
instance, countenanced men or approved of measures, that a 
sober, conservative people could not endorse, it should have 
been attributed to an incautious excess of zeal, and readily have 
been pardoned. Instead of this, the mistake of these good men 
was seized upon, magnified and multiplied by interested parties, 
until suspicions were excited, apprehensions awakened, and 
confidence seriously impaired.' 

Such we believe will be the verdict of impartial history in 
respect to transactions that involved this Institution in serious 
troubles. 

It is due to the memory of my predecessor in ofiice to say, 
that a familiar acquaintance with his long and prosperous admin- 
istration of the affairs of this College, has revealed to me very 
few mistakes, and the one under review grew out of his ardent 
desire to promote the highest spiritual good of the College and 
the community ; the motive was eminently creditable to him 
as a Christian, a minister and a College officer ; but his wisdom 
was at fault in the choice of agencies by which the object was 
to be effected. The pastor of this church at that period, was 
censured in no slight degree for the part he took in those trans- 
actions. Men of the world, who stood entirely aloof from 
religion, were ready to assail the good man with the sharpest 
weapons of criticism ; and there were even clergymen, whose 
ministry had been long doomed to perpetual sterility, who could 
hurl their missiles against a brother, distinguished for a fruitful 
ministry, but who had unwisely given his sanction to methods 
and measures of questionable propriety. Who can point me to 
a minister of Christ within the limits of this commonwealth, 
living or deceased, to whom our churches owe so large a debt of 
gratitude, as to Thomas A. Merrill ? Surely such a man might 
have been excused for one mistake. In pronouncing, however, 
upon these errors of judgment, it is well to remember that the 
same evangelist preached the same doctrines and pursued similar 
measures under the auspices of the President of Dartmouth 
College, and that Institution received no detriment. How shall 



16 

we acconiu for this difference ? Do we find the solution in the 
fact that there is but one College in New Hampshire ? 

Deep and saddening as was this darkness of 1840, to outward 
appearance it did not reach its full intensity until 1847. For 
seven weary years the Institution struggled against neglect and 
poverty, suspicion and distrust, carefully balancing between 
hope and fear, and painfully oscillating between life and death, 
until the afflictive Providence of God was added to the 
unfriendly agencies of man, and we were borne down into the 
deep, dark valley of sorrow and despondency. During the Fall 
Term of that year, two of our valuable instructors died, two 
resigned, and one was prostrated with sickness. An epidemic 
prevailed among the students, many were ill, and three or four 
were removed by death. At this time, too, the question of 
uniting the College with the University was projected upon us ; 
and it demanded much time, care and thought, occasioned a pro- 
tracted correspondence of no little perplexity, and filled our 
friends with painful apprehensions that the end of the College 
was drawing nigh. In December, 1847, we might have made 
the following record, — ' The Faculty consists of a President and 
one Professor, the College has almost no endowment, and is 
deeply in debt. Three clergymen, men of position and character, 
had successively been employed to raise funds to relieve the 
Institution, and each in sadness had reported that nothing could 
be done.' From this state of facts, some of the warmest friends 
and oldest sons of the College came to the conclusion, painful 
as it was, that Middlebury College had done its work, and that 
nothing more remained for her, but calmly to fold her robes 
around her, and lie down to her long repose. — If at that time, 
the question had been put, Watchman, what of the night? we 
should have replied, ' It is midnight, a horror of great darkness 
is upon us.' 

But all was not lost — hope still lingered — strong faith in final 
success nerved the arm to effort — and the bow of promise 
appeared in the distant horizon to cheer us on to duty. We 
girded ourselves to the work before us, and left results to the 
Father of mercies. The first objects of immediate and press- 
ing necessity were, a Faculty, and funds. Our endeavors to 
procure competent men to fill the vacant chairs of instruction 



17 

were crowned with good success, and at the Commencement of 
1848 it appeared that a vaHd subscription had been secured of 
twe/ity-five thousand dollars ! " Watchman, what of the night ? 
Behold the morning cometh." 

Two years later occurred the Semi-Centennial Anniversary 
of the College, when the graduates of all ages and professions, 
from homes near and remote, came back to the old homestead, 
to enjoy together a brief season of intellectual recreation, of 
friendly greeting and of social festivity. That anniversary had 
a decided influence in advancing the interests of the College ; 
it removed prejudices, it renewed friendships, it revived slum- 
bering aff'ections, it led to a higher appreciation of the practical 
value of the education here obtained, it awakened strong 
desires for the perpetuity and enlargement of the College, it 
corrected, public opinion, and, in a good measure, restored confi- 
dence. To the upward tendency already begun, it gave a 
strong impulse, encouraging the hearts, strengthening the hands, 
and stimulating the endeavors of all who were engaged in the 
service of the College, and thus uniting the sons of the Institu- 
tion, and the friends and patrons of education, in a common 
eff'ort for its relief and enlargement. 

The gentle rays of prosperity continued to shine upon us, 
occasionally intercepted by clouds and brief eclipses, until they 
culminated in 1861, in a beautiful new college edifice, well 
filled with students. — Watchman, what of the night ? Again 
the response is heard, The morning cometh ; but soon, alas, he 
was constrained to say, also cometh the night. — The drum, the 
fife, the bugle blasts of war were heard in our valleys and on 
our hill-tops, exciting the martial ardor of our youth and calling 
them to the defense of their country. In this general gathering 
of the clans for the protection of the nation's life, shall College 
students be excused ? Grant them exemption from military 
service at such a time, and you do but increase their ardor for 
.the conflict. Try to persuade them to wait until their course of 
study is completed and they reply, " That may be too late, our 
country needs us now," and speedily the classics are exchanged 
for the musket and the cutlass, and in solid platoons they hasten 
to the camp. And yet we are tauntingly reproached with the 
question, "Where are your students?" Fervid orations are 
3 



18 

pronounced, earnest appeals are addressed to the public by 
interested parties, political, educational and religious; private 
letters are written to men who are supposed to have influence 
on the subject, all to show that our Colleges in Vermont are 
going to ruin, because they have but few students, and that 
the only hope of continued life, is to merge them all in one. 
Whether such representations are fair and candid, we will not 
now inquire, but it seems to some of us, not a little unkind to 
pervert the outflow of our patriotism into a reason for our anni- 
hilation. Who needs be told that the war has made large 
demands upon all our literary Institutions ? In some parts of 
our country. Colleges have been suspended, while professors 
and pupils rushed to the great conflict. In other places the 
number of students has been greatly diminished by the calls of 
their country for defenders. Thus scores and hundreds have 
been drawn from institutions of all grades, the preparatory 
school, the College, and the professional seminary, into the army. 
In the universal uprising of patriotism for the defense of liberty 
and law, all classes of citizens are entitled to high praise, but 
the young scholars of the country will not sufl'er in comparison 
with any other class. It was not the hope of a little romantic 
pastime, nor a temporary outburst of enthusiasm, that drew them 
from classical halls to the stern conflicts of the battle-field, or to 
the no less fatal malaria of the camps ; a higher and more noble 
motive impelled them to the field. Sad and sorrowful is the 
record of our noble band of heroes. Bennett wa.s the first to 
offer himself on the altar of his country, and the first to seal his 
devotion with his life. Crane fell at the head of his company, 
with his face to the foe, in that sanguinary conflict, the battle 
of the Wilderness. Williamson, having acquired high reputation 
as an officer of cavalry, received his death wound at Cold 
Harbor, of which he soon died. Of the forty undergraduates, 
who went forth to the war, these, with one exception, are all of 
whose death I have been assured, though others who escaped 
death are maimed and crippled for life. It may not be improper 
to add that about the same number of recent graduates joined the 
army, some fresh from college halls, others from the various 
occupations and professions in life. They acquitted themselves 
like men, several were promoted for their valor, and Davenport 



19 

and Cadwell, Converse and Eaton died the honorable death of 
soldiers at the post of duty. — This depletion of our numbers is 
our misfortune, but not our disgrace. We are not ashamed of 
our record — and as war has reduced us from one hundred to 
fifty, the return of peace will soon raise us again, we are confi- 
dent, even beyond the former limit. 

The last ingredient in our cup of sorrow was a Baptism by 
fire. The scene is familiar to your memories, and needs no 
description. The night of the 25th of December, 1864, cannot 
soon be forgotten by any who witnessed the conflagration ; and 
on the hearts of some the impression was made as with the 
point of a diamond. How mysterious are the movements of 
Providence ! " Thy way is in the sea, thy path in the great 
waters, and thy footsteps are not known." Was it in anger or 
in mercy, that his hand was laid so heavily upon us ? If in 
anger, why did he arrest the flames before they utterly con- 
sumed us ? If not in mercy, why did he permit us so soon to 
repair the desolations of that memorable night ? We endeav- 
ored humbly to accept a Father's correction, and to bow submis- 
sively before his chastising rod, and to day we are permitted to 
lift up our heads with rejoicing to give thanks to his holy name, 
that the fire-marks are obliterated, and that our noble edifice 
now presents itself to view, renewed and re-established, beaming 
forth in conscious pride, in all its original freshness and comely 
proportions. Watchman, what of the night ? The night has 
departed, the morning has come — the light of the king of day 
scatters its golden fringes along the Eastern horizon and gives 
high promise of his early coming. 

Still, the sad experience of the past will not allow us to be 
wholly unconcerned respecting the future. Fogs and mists yet 
linger upon the mountains, and sometimes brood in darkness 
over the vallies, reminding us ominously of the possible approach 
of another night. The condition of the higher institutions of 
learning in Vermont, is quite peculiar. Public sentiment is 
divided and confused in regard to them. It demands progress, 
but does not comprehend what true progress is. It seeks 
for some great thing, but has no well defined idea what it 
wants. Some, who aspire to be directors of the public mind in 
matters of education, are as poorly qualified for the office, as is 



20 

the boy who flies the kite, to give lectures on the resolution of 
forces. With many, thorough education is at a discount, and 
some royal road to learning is sought for, which will carry pupils 
with railroad speed to the goal of their ambition. One of the 
most unpromising signs of the times is the readiness with which 
the public ear listens to those tyros and empyrics, who assail 
established and long-tried systems, and propose to teach all that 
is important for young men to know in six months. But there 
are yet more grave and threatening innovations than these. 
Within a few years past the educational interests of our State 
have been discussed with great animation and sometimes with 
a little acrimony. On the assumption that we have too many 
Colleges in Vermont, various plans of union have been proposed 
by the Legislature, by the Trustees of some of the institutions, 
or by individuals interested ; but no one has yet met with 
general favor. Nothing will satisfy the large desires of some 
ambitious minds, but a great central Institution, that shall 
embrace and control all the higher departments of education in 
the State, and give tone and direction to all inferior grades of 
instruction. That such a central power, under the guidance of 
political authority, and oftentimes no doubt of a single will, 
would not promote the highest interests of the people, we most 
fully believe. It is not according to the genius of our popular 
institutions to concentrate power in a few hands. Institutions 
of education, as well as civil institutions, may serve as checks 
and balances to each other. Suppose there was but one Theo- 
logical Seminary in the country, it might soon control the 
theological opinions of the nation, and then, having no competi- 
tor, no antagonist, it would pass to a state of indolent repose, 
and make no progress in the march of thought. Comparison, 
competition and mental conflict are indispensable to all health- 
ful vigorous advancement in knowledge. This notion of 
centralization in education and in other departments of human 
activity, has become a favorite one with some at the present 
time. But it tends to evil, and if not checked by suitable 
guards and balances, the result may be highly prejudicial to the 
best interests of the people. Let the moneyed power of a State 
as represented in Banks and Railroads, be united with the 
educational power, and placed under the direction of a great 



21 

central, political influence, and the character of humanity must 
be greatly improved, or the rights of the people would be 
seriously endangered. 

If, however, other institutions desire to try the experiment of 
consolidation, we will not object, we only ask to be allowed to 
pursue our own chosen way unmolested. Our College has kept 
aloof, as far as possible, from these agitations, choosing to stand 
where its charter placed it, upon an independent 'foundation, 
and to rely upon Divine Providence and its own energies. It 
wages no war v/ith other institutions, it throws no obstacles in 
their way, it wishes them no evil, but leaves them to carry out 
their own convictions of propriety and of duty; but is fully de- 
termined on this, — it will avoid all alliances, incompatible with 
its character and integrity. The discussions and appeals and 
colored statements referred to, have awakened fears in the hearts 
of some good friends, that Middlebury College must voluntarily 
unite with some other institution, or be involuntarily absorbed. 
There are those, we are sorry to say, who are constitutionally 
timid; they were never made for soldiers; in every little emer- 
gency they are ready to exclaim, " There is a lion in the way." 
Others are naturally ambitious ; they are lovers of learning, but 
they love that learning most especially that flows from large 
institutions. They are patrons of education, but they have no 
favors to bestow upon one that is always asking for help. 
" Wait," they say, " wait until you become strong, and we will 
aid you." Some love to do good, but not in obscurity ; their 
benevolence must be made conspicuous, by being bestowed 
upon some magnificent object. Amid this opposition from 
without and this faint-heartedness within, the discouragement 
of some and disloyalty of others, the distractions occasioned by 
war and the desolations by fire, the question has sometimes 
been put with a sharpness that is both keen and penetrating : 
" Can Middlebury College be sustained 1 " To this I have 
replied, and I now reply with assured confidence and strong 
emphasis, — The College can be sustained. In the natural 
course of events, the Institution cannot expect to meet trials 
and obstacles more serious and perplexing than those which it 
has encountered during the last quarter of a century, and if in 
these embarrassing circumstances its onward progress has been 
obvious to the eye of the casual observer, what may not be 



22 

expected in the new conditions of life on which it is soon to 
enter? Earnest effort will be required, but that is a pre-requisite 
to every successful achievement of human activity. If the 
strenuous endeavors, made by some of the' friends of our College, 
for union or consolidation, had been directed to the upbuilding 
of the Institution, it would have been much further advanced 
on the ascending grade of prosperity, than it is found to be at 
the present time. But taking it as it is, there is no cause for 
discouragement. I claim to be pretty well acquainted with its 
past history, its present and prospective resources, its internal 
condition and external relations, its literary character and 
methods of education, and I affirm, — and I have no fear of 
contradiction by any one who understands the subject, — that 
the promises of future success were never more encouraging 
than at the present moment. The question under consideration, 
resolves itself into one of dollars and cents. In these days of 
rapid progress and of active competition, no literary institution 
can expect to prosper without, at least respectable endowments, 
and my faith is strong that with suitable efforts such endow- 
ments can be obtained. 

If the question, ' Can the College be sustained ? ' is deter- 
mined in the affirmative, we are immediately met by another of 
still greater importance, as some believe, viz.. Ought it to he 
sustained 1 Do the best interests of society demand that Mid- 
dlebury College be perpetuated? On this point we have not the 
shadow of a doubt. Nor can we see how judicious men, laying 
aside prejudice and party interests, can come to any other con- 
clusion. Look at its past history and gather up its important 
results. See how limited its territory, how straitened in its 
resources, how many obstacles have impeded its onward pro- 
gress ! It has lived a life of toil and conflict from its origin to 
the present day, but through the smiles of a benignant Provi- 
dence, and the unfailing kindness of its friends, it has done good 
service to the Church, the State, and to the Republic of Letters. 
During the sixty-Jive years of its existence, nearly eleven hun- 
dred graduates have gone forth from its halls ; — the number is 
not large, certainly, compared with older and larger Colleges, 
but they are men who have made their mark in the world. 
Yale College has furnished more than six times as many gradu- 
ates, but that institution is one hundred years older than Mid- 



dlebury. Dartmouth, nearly half a century older, has furnished 
four times as many. Middlebury has sent into the great harvest 
field, more than one-fourth as many clergymen as Yale, and 
nearly one-half as many as Dartmouth, and three times as many 
as the University of Vermont. Her clerical sons have been 
distinguished among their brethren in ten denominations, and 
they have prosecuted the ministerial work in the largest cities 
and towns in more than twenty States of the Union, North, 
South, East and West, and more than thirty have gone as mis- 
sionaries to distant lands. Ought such an instrument for use- 
fulness to be destroyed ? 

How does our College stand in the department of educational 
labor ? One or two facts will answer the question. In a late 
address on Colleges, a distinguished Professor stated that Har- 
vard College had trained forty-one presidents, and one hundred 
and thirteen professors, for herself and other Colleges, and that 
Yale College had also trained forty-one presidents, and one hun- 
dred and thirteen professors, for herself and other Colleges. 
They have surely done a great work in the higher departments 
of education. Middlebury has furnished eighteen presidents, 
and sixty professors, for herself and other Colleges ; that is, one- 
half as many College officers, as have been supplied by either 
of the two oldest and largest institutions in the nation ! Though 
its influence has been felt more extensively in the ministry and 
in the departments of religious and secular education, the Insti- 
tution can show a large number of sons who have been useful 
and distinguished in civil and political life as governors, mem- 
bers of Congress, judges and advocates, physicians, scholars and 
authors. Such are some of the results that bear witness to the 
character and good influences of Middlebury College. Shall 
such an Institution be abandoned ? Why ? What evil hath it 
done ? I have heard but two crimes laid to its charge. 1. It is 
small. 2. It does not grow fast enough. So Vermont is a small 
State ; some noisy politicians declare that it is too small to be 
respectable, and it must therefore be united to some other State. 
Vermont asks to be judged by her deeds, and not by the number 
of her acres. Let our College* be judged by the same standard. 

We have fallen upon troublesome times — the public mind is 
in a state of excitement — society is passing through rapid trans- 
formations — moral evil is rushing in among us like a flood. To 



24 

arrest this evil, to stem this tide, do we not need just such influ- 
ences and agencies as Middiebury College has created and sent 
forth into the world ? Men of intellectual strength, of disci- 
plined minds, of religious principle, and of active benevolence — 
such preachers as Henshaw and Olin, and Henry and Larned ; 
such missionaries as Bingham and Winslow, Fisk and Parsons ; 
such professors as Keith and Chace, Church and Barrows — 
such Governors as Royce and Slade, Coolidge and Eaton — men 
of sterling integrity, of inflexible morality, and of broad sym- 
pathies with humanity. Men of this character going forth from 
college halls to engage in the moral conflicts of life, are like a 
band of well-trained soldiers issuing from the gates of a fortress 
to drive back an invading foe. Are such fortresses too nume- 
rous ? Are soldiers of the above described character, disciplined 
and trained for service more rapidly than the exigencies of the 
times demand ? Who will enter so absurd a plea ? Is not the 
earnest cry now heard through all our borders, " a famine is 
approaching — a famine of the bread of life — send us men. Anti- 
cipate the evil day, by educating your sons and turning their 
thoughts to the sacred ministry.''^ Then let our College be sup- 
ported, enlarged, invigorated, that it may ofl'er to the church, to 
the nation and to humanity, fourfold the amount of educated 
and consecrated talent that it has been able to do heretofore. 
Let it not be said that two or three great central institutions can 
supply the demand for educated mind, better than a large 
number of smaller Colleges. Reason and history, observation 
and fact unite to refute the assertion. There must be a limit, 
certainly, to the multiplication of literary institutions, but where 
that limit shall be found must be left to the good sense of the 
community. Now hear the conclusion of our argument. 
Middiebury College has educated a goodly number of able and 
useful men for the service of Church and State. Many of 
these men would not have been educated had it not been for 
the existence of that Institution. More such men are needed 
to supply the present necessities of the country. Middiebury 
will educate them as cheap and as well as they can be educated 
at other institutions, and will*encourage some to seek a public 
education who would not otherwise enjoy that privilege : 
therefore the interests of the public require that the College be 
sustained. 



25 

But this College not only can be sustained, and ought to be 
sustained, — I predict with great confidence that it will be 
sustained. 

If silver and gold alone are wanting, silver and gold will be 
furnished. What mean these large accumulations of property ? 
this unexampled prosperity in the midst of an exhausting and 
desolating war ? What gifts, what princely donations have 
been made to the cause of humanity ! Has there been poured 
forth on the owners of this wealth such a spirit of exuberant 
liberality, for no important purpose ? The history of the world 
can probably furnish no example that approaches this generous 
and universal outpouring of benevolence for the relief of the 
poor and suffering, as well as for the upbuilding of useful insti- 
tutions. See ye not the hand of God in this great work ? Has 
he not said, " the silver and the gold are mine, and the cattle 
upon a thousand hills? " Can he not touch the springs of human 
volition and cause this treasure to flow forth whithersoever he 
will ? Has he not promised to hear prayer and to bless wisely 
directed eflfort ? There are peculiar providences at the present 
time that speak the language of encouragement. Faith, hope, 
prayer, accompanied with bold and faithful eifort, will soon 
surmount all obstacles and attain the end in view. 

I make no pretension to the gift of second sight, but I seem 
to see in the not distant future, and under a new administration, 
an incoming prosperity that shall greatly surpass all that has 
been experienced in former years. The language of the pro- 
phet sounds clearly in my ears, — " Comfort ye, comfort ye my 
people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, 
and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her 
iniquity is pardoned ; for she hath received of the Lord's hand 
double for all her sins." 

Young Gentlemen of the Graduating Class : 

The second stage in your course of study is now completed — 
one step more and you will take your places among the public 
and professional men of the nation. This consummation of 
your hopes and aspirations may appear to you, in the far 
distance ; but the current of life rolls rapidly onward, and before 
you are aware of it, the cares, the duties and the perplexities of 
4 



26 

life's great work will press heavily upon you. If, in a few short 
years, then, you are to be numbered among the law-makers, the 
political and religious guides of the people, men who give 
tone and direction to public sentiment, the community have a 
right to know, and they are deeply interested in knowing, what 
characters, what governing principles of action you are to take 
with you into those stations of power and influence. Around 
each and every youth who graduates from College, there 
gathers a full cluster of hopes or fears, of parental joys and 
sorrows ; but a more public interest is felt, a more general solici- 
tude, respecting the influence he is to exert upon the public 
weal. In addition to the ordinary lessons of literature and 
science, of history and philosophy, that your instructors have 
imparted in the course of your studies, they have endeavored, 
in view of their responsibility to yourselves, to the public and 
to God, to impress upon your minds, and to commend to your 
particular attention, those important practical principles, on 
which your respectability, your usefulness, and your success in 
life in no small degree depend. It is not the intellect alone, 
however cultivated and disciplined, that will promote the best 
interests of society, but intellect trained to obey the dictates of 
an enlightened conscience and the laws of God. We have 
urged upon you, therefore, as an important department of self- 
education to study to achieve a complete conquest over self ; to 
learn to hold the impulses of the spirit, the passions of the 
heart, the propensities of the inferior nature in strict subordina- 
tion to the regal and the rightful sway of the reason and the 
conscience. No man is fully qualified to guide and govern 
others until he has learned the art of self-government, and no 
youth is properly educated, whatever may be his acquisitions 
and discipline in other respects, who has not been taught to 
bring every department of his being in subjection to wholesome 
restraint. 

We have advised you to cultivate and to cherish in spirit and 
in practice, a high and generous manhood ; to stoop to no 
unworthy measures for the aggrandizement of self or party ; to 
avoid scrupulously the petty arts and tricks of the politician, 
whether in Church or State. Act no borrowed part. Be what 
you seem. Let not your claims and pretensions be higher than 



27 

your deservings. Condnct on all occasions, so as to secure your 
own self-respect, and you will not fail to deserve and to receive 
the respect of others. These ends can be secured by a true 
and lofty manliness of character. 

A spirit of broad and true philanthropy is another of those 
amiable and practical virtues, which we have commended to 
you. Be not bound up in the narrowness of self; allow your 
feelings to flow forth in all their freshness and force to your 
friends, your countrymen, mankind — yes, embrace in your kind 
regards and generous sympathies the whole human family. 
'' Love your neighbor as yourself," is the great command of the 
moral law. We have aimed to impress upon you, that your 
education is not to be regarded as a means of self-exaltation, of 
fancied superiority over others, but as a talent loaned you, for 
use and improvement ; an instrument which you are to employ 
for the highest good of your fellow men. As men of public 
spirit, of enlarged views, and of genuine benevolence, let your 
example reprove, and if possible check, the spirit of pride and 
ambitious self-seeking, that is so rife among us in these times. 

We have exhorted you not to forget in your eager pursuit of 
the knowledge that pertains to this world, that " the fear of the 
Lord is the beginning of wisdom," that the first step in true 
knowledge is, to perceive your relations to your Heavenly 
Father, and then to recognize the obligations and perform the 
duties that flow from those relations " My son, give me thine 
heart," is the language of love and kindness that comes to you 
from the world above. Listen to this voice of a Father, and in 
all your ways, private and public, remember that his eye is 
upon you. 

These few sentiments may be reduced to maxims, and easily 
remembered. Govern yourselves : Be men : Love your race : 
Fear God. Take these brief maxims with you into all the 
scenes and pursuits of future life, make them practical, forget 
them not. 

There are events scattered along your class history, that 
admonish you not to be over sanguine, in respect to the future. 
Some of your early associates, with hopes and aspirations as 
high as your own, were arrested in their course and summoned 
to their last account. Four of your classmates are numbered 



28 

with the dead. Hawkins, the first victim, died before the class 
had completed its first year. ConJcey aspired to, and would have 
attained distinction as a scholar, but insidious disease was prey- 
ing upon his system, and consigned him at length to a prema- 
ture grave. Flint struggled long and manfully against the 
united forces of penury and inherited malady, and found repose 
only in the embrace of death. Though dead they yet speak, 
and warn you not to rely too confidently upon the plans, the 
hopes and the aspirations of earth. 

Your class. Young Gentlemen, will leave behind on the 
records of Alma Mater, a literary character, fair and highly 
creditable, and your record is not less honorable on the page of 
patriotism. Of the thirty, whose names have been found upon 
your catalogue, eight have been connected with the army or 
navy ; and so far as I have learned, they acquitted themselves 
like men. Five of this number, I understand, passed through 
their period of service unharmed. One returned to graduate 
with you, but bearing upon him ineffaceable marks of the terri- 
ble conflict. The heroic valor of another is certified, as he 
returns to his friends by the absence of an arm. And one 
there was who will return no more forever. Newton was a 
brave soldier, a capable officer, and a Christian. Having served 
his country faithfully in many a field of honor, he was instantly 
killed at the head of his company in a skirmish near Cold 
Harbor — the martyr hero of the class of 1865. 

Your College life has been somewhat eventful. The first 
class to enter, after the peace of the country was disturbed, the 
first to graduate after peace is re-established. The past four 
years have been a period of unparalleled agitation and excite- 
ment, of hope and fear, of suspense and anxiety ; conditions 
certainly not friendly to calm and earnest thought, or to the 
highest attainments in scholarship; yet you have passed the 
trying ordeal, I hope, without serious detriment. With great 
interest and pleasure, your instructors have watched over and 
guided your intellectual progress and development, and they 
now send you forth with the fullest confidence that you will do 
them and your Alma Mater, no dishonor. Commending you to 
the protection and guidance of your Heavenly Father, they 
bid you an affectionate Farewell. 



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